Ubisoft cares for frachises only

In short, Ubisoft will concentrate only on stuff they can make a franchise from. They don't want to make (risk) a new IP that will never get a sequel or spin-off even if successful or in other words, if Jade Empire was published by them, we'd finally see another JE. If they were behind KoToR, hell, we'd see KoToR 5 already.

I can't care less for Watch Dogs, but FC3 and the silly spin-off were something that'll make me buy FC4 for sure. HoMM6 was fun, I'll buy HoMM7 too no matter the sad story behind it. And if JDR blesses AC3, hell, I could try that one too. If mobs don't respawn ofc.

But is it really good? I don't see how thousands of Nancy Drew games are positive for the adventure genre. Don't we need more variety?

In the end, it'll get over-saturated and lead into boredom - at the side of the customer.

Then, a new, fresh IP is needed.

Where to get it from ?

Well, simple : Buying a small developers who's just had a good success … EA showed how this goes …

-- “ Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.“ (E.F.Schumacher, Economist, Source)

In short, Ubisoft will concentrate only on stuff they can make a franchise from. They don't want to make (risk) a new IP that will never get a sequel or spin-off even if successful or in other words, if Jade Empire was published by them, we'd finally see another JE. If they were behind KoToR, hell, we'd see KoToR 5 already.

I can't care less for Watch Dogs, but FC3 and the silly spin-off were something that'll make me buy FC4 for sure. HoMM6 was fun, I'll buy HoMM7 too no matter the sad story behind it. And if JDR blesses AC3, hell, I could try that one too. If mobs don't respawn ofc.

But is it really good? I don't see how thousands of Nancy Drew games are positive for the adventure genre. Don't we need more variety?

Sure we need variety but not necessarily from ubisoft. There are plenty of other developers making games so if they want to focus on just franchises more power to them.

No interest in watch dogs? To each there own but that game looks excellent and would fall in to the variety category I would think.

If they focus on providing a great quality experience - then there's the potential for a franchise.

The only way you're not going to have the potential for a franchise - is if you make a game that people don't want to play.

What they're really saying is that they want to focus on mainstream mass appeal - and that's been the norm for ages.

The thing about that, though, is that mainstream mass appeal is not an exact science. They're just trying to make it an exact science. You still need a great first game that people (as fickle as they are) latch on to, for whatever reason.

Take something like Bioshock. Publishers and investors had the hardest time believing in that game - because it wasn't a good match for the "AAA mainstream bullshit science" and yet it's now a very successful franchise.

Also, who would ever have believed that a "relatively" hardcore and in-depth RPG like Skyrim would outsell almost every other game out there?

Again, you just need quality and passionate developers. Once you take that and try to turn them into factory workers - you'll end up losing your franchise and ruining it in the long run.

Trouble is that the audience is slow on the uptake - and you can often get away with making several subpar sequels before people figure out they're playing perpetually inferior games. But even the mainstream audience has its limits.

Do note, though, that this doesn't include certain specific genres - like sports games and highly competitive games - as they're not so much about the games themselves - but about the subject matter or the nature of competing against others.

As for Watch Dogs - they've marketed that game like it was God descending upon the Earth to bring us joy and happiness. But unlike the masses, I prefer to reserve judgment until it's actually released.

Assassin's Creed is one of the most overrated franchises out there - and I'm saying that despite thinking AC2+ are pretty good. But they're not THAT good.

DArtagnan

Do people really even buy their stuff with the extra online stuff required? Seems to me that in this day and age, if it isn't an mmo that would be a dealbreaker for most people that I know. Out of the twenty or so gaming friends that I have, I cannot think of a one that actually buys Ubisoft products.

Originally Posted by Carnifex
Do people really even buy their stuff with the extra online stuff required? Seems to me that in this day and age, if it isn't an mmo that would be a dealbreaker for most people that I know. Out of the twenty or so gaming friends that I have, I cannot think of a one that actually buys Ubisoft products.

-Carn

I do, I don't have any problem with "extra online stuff".

I have been always online for years now. When I travel I stay at a hotel with Internet or I have my phones as a hotspot.